James J. "Jim" Rhatigan

James J. “Jim” Rhatigan died Sunday October 27, 2024 at the age of 89. He is best known as the longtime Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Wichita State University. He was hired by WSU President Emory Lindquist in 1965, to build a modern Student Affairs program on the “new” Wichita State campus which had just entered the State System of higher education. When he arrived, at age 30, he was the youngest Chief Student Affairs administrator in the nation for institutions of 10,000 students and above. Just a decade later he was elected President of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) the principle professional organization for college and university administrators, today numbering 15,000. At the time of his retirement from Student Affairs, Jim’s record of publication ranked in the top one percent of his field. The Student Affairs program was recognized as among the best in the nation on urban campuses. Jim later spent nearly two decades as a half-time employee of the Wichita State Foundation where he continued as an unpaid consultant for the remainder of his life. As a University Administrator at Wichita State, Jim was an advocate and friend to thousands of university students. Often, these relationships ran far longer than their years of enrollment. He believed in an “ethic of caring” and his staff reflected that ethic. He also was thankful for countless faculty and staff across the campus who contributed to the well-being of students. In 1997, the student Center on the campus was named in his honor. While Jim appreciated his professional record, his heart and mind centered on the love of his family. He believed that the true importance of life is what happens in one’s ordinary days. He spent those days (eventually decades) with his wife, Beverly, his daughter, Becky, son-in-law Joe Linot and his two grandsons, Alec and Reid (Natalie). These were years of love, warmth and gratitude. Jim served on many boards during his Wichita years and was a charter member of the University Congregational Church. Memorials can be made to the church of those who wish to do so, or to the Rhatigan Emergency Fund at Wichita State University, which he established in the 1960s, offering immediate financial relief to students in crisis. If choosing to donate to the church, please select the "designated" fund. Celebration of Life will be at 1:00 pm, Saturday, November 2, 2024, at University Congregational Church. Jim's service will be live streamed and available to view on the University Congregational Church's website (https://ucchurch.org/) or by clicking "Watch Event" below. A reception will follow from 2:30 - 4:00 pm at the Rhatigan Student Center at Wichita State University. Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.

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